Israeli U.N. Envoy Says International Community ‘Has Lost Its Way’

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Ron Prosor says that the international community “has lost its way” in its assessment of the latest Israel-Hamas conflict.

“It might be too much to ask you to stand on our side in this battle between civilization and barbarism, but at least have the decency to swallow your selective outrage while Israel wages war against the extremist groups seeking to eradicate the values that we all hold very dear,” Prosor told the U.N. General Assembly.

“If the U.N. assembly had invested a tenth of the energy invested in investigating Israel, it would reveal horrific war crimes on the part of Hamas,” he added. “The international community has lost its way. This organization was founded to promote morality, truth, and justice. Unfortunately, that is not its mission now.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon leveled heavy criticism on Israel, telling the General Assembly on Wednesday, “Perhaps nothing symbolized more the horror that was unleashed on the people of Gaza than the repeated shelling of U.N. facilities harboring civilians who had been explicitly told to seek a safe haven there.”

“Mere suspicion of militant activity does not justify jeopardizing the lives and safety of many thousands of innocent civilians,” Ban said. “U.N. shelters must be safe zones, not combat zones. Those who violate this sacred trust must be subject to accountability and justice.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel’s military actions in Gaza were “defensive, justified, and proportional.”

“We did everything possible to avoid harming civilians,” he said. “Hamas did the exact opposite, both in terms of our civilians and in terms of civilians in Gaza.”